They’ve been coming thick and fast all morning so here is a summary of the Laneway sideshows. As per usual there are the horrible clashes like The Horrors and Girls playing the same night as well as Yuck/EMA, M83 and Austra all on the same night in Sydney… GIRLS Thursday, 2nd February 2012 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney Wednesday, 8th February 2012 – Corner Hotel, … Continue reading NEWS: Laneway Festival sideshows announced…
I came across this full live set from Ride today on You Tube – fantastic stuff from one of the greatest bands. Continue reading WATCH: Ride : live @ Brixton Academy, 1992 (full set)
Sydney’s Made In Japan create clean and sparkling indie pop with a strong thread of post rock and shoegaze influences running through it. They have a debut album Sights and Sounds due out in the new year but in the meantime check out the clip for the title track directed by Angelo Kehagias. You can catch them live over the next few week: Nov 12 … Continue reading WATCH: Made In Japan | Sights and Sounds
written by Chris Familton It is somewhat unavoidable when it comes to making comparisons between the new Dick Diver and Twerps albums as both have been released at the same time on Melbourne’s Chapter Music and both share a style that strongly echoes the music being made in New Zealand and particularly Dunedin in the 1980s. Variously the ghost of The Bats, The Clean, The … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Dick Diver | New Start Again
written by Chris Familton This has been a bumper year for wistful guitar music brimming with melodies and laidback vibes – perfectly suited to soundtracking either a dreary autumn day or the warming expectation of summer. Real Estate, Girls and Oh Mercy are at the more immediate end of the spectrum but not far behind are a gang of Melbourne musicians in bands like Twerps … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Twerps | Twerps
written by Chris Familton The Drones were winding up a national tour to promote the release of their first DVD A Thousand Mistakes. That document is an exhaustive look at the live evolution of the band from raw, unbridled punk rock through to their current position as one of the country’s best live acts and in Gareth Liddiard, one of our finest contemporary songwriters. Adalita … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: The Drones @ Metro Theatre, Sydney (29/10/11)
written by Chris Familton Noisy guitar pop seems to be everywhere at the moment, whether it is stained with garage rock, shoegaze or 90s indie there is a strong melodic vein running through it – more pop and less rock in the traditional posturing sense. Locals Step-Panther have been impressing on the live circuit and now they’ve successfully translated their songs to the recorded form … Continue reading ALBUM REVIEW: Step-Panther | Step-Panther
From their stellar albymn New Start Again comes the lo-fi and down to earth video for Dick Diver’s Through The D. Love the shuffling jangle of this track. We’ll have a review of the album up shortly… Continue reading WATCH: Dick Diver | Through The D
The Sydney Festival has announced its official program for 2012 with an excellent music line-up as has become the norm over the last few years… Amiina AA Bondy Andrew Weatherall & Neville Watson Animagica Assembly Asa & Fefe Beth Orton CANT Clairy Brown and the Bangin’ Rackettes Dan Deacon Ensemble & John Maus Dan Sultan & Busby Marou with Kasey Chambers Deerhoof and DJ Yamantaka … Continue reading NEWS: Sydney Festival 2012 program unveiled…
Witch Hats are one of those Australian bands that operate in the grey zone between the invisible underground and the marketing hype of the Triple J world. Possessing a post punk/90s indie guitar mood they follow the broken glass strewn path trod and beaten by their next of kin like The Scientists, Birthday Party, Jesus Lizard and more recently the drama pop of The Veils. Following … Continue reading LISTEN: to the new Witch Hats LP Pleasure Syndrome…
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Flying Nun, here is a reprint of a piece I wrote about the label last year… written by Chris Familton A record label at the right place at the right time can be integral to a music scene, often gaining revered status further down the track as history settles into place. Sub Pop, Motown and Factory are obvious examples. … Continue reading FEATURE: Life in a Chord | Flying Nun Records
by Chris Familton Mike Noga was up first, playing primarily on his lonesome which suited the mood and opening slot perfectly. His songs were stripped back to their bare essence of guitar, voice, harmonica and on a couple of occasions some wonderful cello courtesy of The Gin Club’s Bridget Lewis. Noga was in fine form – chatty, cheeky and seemingly undaunted to be standing alone … Continue reading LIVE REVIEW: Okkervil River @ Metro Theatre, Sydney 18/10/11
Doubtful Sounds 